NCIS six feet under
by BellaDonna24
Summary: How will finding a mass murderer's dumpsite make Dinozzo unearth memmories he'd rather have kept buried.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first stab at writing a fanfic so any comments are welcome, this is obviously just the beginning and I promise there is more to come!_

**Disclaimer: I could only dream of being able to own any part of NCIS, oh well we'll just have to make do!**

Prologue

"Tony, Ziva come here, you want to see this!"

Tony looked up from the corpse , glad for a distraction from the gruesome scene.

Ziva was standing under a big tree, looking up at Mc Gee with a mixture of pity and annoyance on her face.  
" Mc Gee, if you're stuck up there just say so, no need to make something up to get us stuck with you" Ziva yelled up to Mc Gee, who was perched on a branch amongst the leaves.  
"I'm not stuck!" he yelled back at her indignantly, "I'm a scout, I'm more comfortable up a tree than on the ground"  
" That doesn't say much" I commented as I joined Ziva and McGee "have you ever seen him on skates? NOT pretty"  
Ziva gave me a wry smile and a small laugh before focussing on McGee.  
" So if you're not stuck, why are you up there?" The tone of her voice told me Ziva really didn't feel like climbing the smooth tree; she looked good, as always, hair tied up and clothes fresh; but I could tell she was tired. I knew she had enjoyed maybe 6 hours sleep over the last four days, and even then it was curled up on the floor behind her desk. For a moment I was thrilled we found the body of the missing person, at least now maybe Gibbs would let us sleep.

I shook my head, to much caffeine I told myself: focus. I realised McGee had started explaining what the heck he was doing up that bloody tree.  
"... so then I noticed that thick patch of grass, and then another, and well you have to come up here to understand..." he drifted off.  
I exchanged a glance with Ziva and shrugged, we might as well. Ziva glanced at the tree and looked at me quizzically; I had to agree it wasn't going to be pretty getting up there, the lowest branch was above our head. I sighed and positioned myself under the tree, my back against the tree trunk for support. I crouched down and linked my fingers; I gave Ziva a quick smile and nodded for her to get up. Ziva smiled at me thankfully; I felt the pressure of her army boots first in my linked hands, then on my shoulder, before seeing her gracefully slide onto one of the lower branches.  
" thanks, but how are you going to get up?"  
" I'll be fine" I said, grinning up at her.

I pulled out my strong knife and punched it into the tree, just above waist height. I placed my foot on the hilt of the knife and nimbly launched myself up. Ziva and I linked hands as she pulled me onto the branch beside her. I let the physical contact draw out for a split second before leaning down and pulling my knife out of the tree trunk.  
Glancing over Ziva's shoulder I saw Gibbs standing on the ground where Ducky had parked the Van, some how he caught my eye and gave me an almost unperceivable nod of approval, my chest swelled with pride as I turned to look in the same direction as Ziva as McGee explained:  
" As I said, I saw the patches where vegetation was thickest, as if someone has put fertiliser on just those area's. Then I noticed their size, roughly the same as that of a grave. I... I don't think this was his first murder." McGee ended with an uncertain gesture at the land around us, we looked around us, all around us where flat grasslands, marked with hundreds of one by two meter patches of lush green vegetation.

...

_As I mentioned, don't feel obliged to, but comments are very much appreciated! THX_


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay in publishing the second chapter, hope you like it.**

_TONY_

"Ziva will you cut it out!" I yelled at the top of my lungs in an attempt to be heard over the sound of metal desk draws being abused by a very frustrated  
Ziva.  
There was a flurry of Hebrew as Ziva rounded on me; it didn't sound like she was complementing my new tie.  
" DINOZZO! We've hardly started digging in the ground and we already have 50 bodies! They're children Dinozzo and what do we have? NOTHING!"  
Now my anger had flared to and I started yelling at her as I paced towards her desk.  
"I know that Ziva and it's killing me, but I'm tired, dirty, hungry and I have a throbbing headache which you're not helpings so will you CALM DOWN!" My  
volume had increased with every step I took until I was directly across the desk from Ziva and horribly contradicting myself.  
We stood opposite one another, glaring at each other furiously until a feeble _ding_ broke through the palpable silence that hung over the office.  
Upon Gibbs's exit from the lift everyone seemed to remember they had a mass murderer to catch and got back to work.  
I turned on my heels and followed Gibbs to his desk to report, Gibbs glanced up, as if asking whether I was waiting for a written invitation.  
I took a deep breath and started:  
" So far we have 52 bodies all roughly between 4 and 7..." I said as Ziva joined me and added:  
" But we've only cleared a tenth of the presumed one Hectare of the dumpsite..."  
"The land is Government owned and was a nature reserve up until, ohh... about 2 hours ago..."  
"Which means anyone had access to it, but it is hard to get to and not very well known..."  
"McGee is trying to contact the park ranger and Ducky is trying to determine the latest dump..."  
"The local Leo's are trying to find tire tracks but no luck so far, it's going to take days to establish a time-line, so..."  
"What do you want us to do?" I finished.

Gibbs closed his eyes for a second to take everything in, when he opened them I thought I saw a look of grief in his eyes, I convinced myself it wasn't so  
Gibbs rarely showed any emotions; much less ones of weakness. Still, it was enough for me to feel unsettled as Gibbs gave his orders:  
" Go over the scene again, I doubt the local Leo's found anything see if you can."  
I didn't even bother nodding, without missing a beat I walked to my desk and smoothly grabbed my bag, slinging one strap over my shoulder and heading towards  
the lift doors with Ziva on my heels.

_ZIVA_

I could feel my legs protesting as I kneeled in the bushes, scouring it for any sign of our killer. Despite the pain I lingered, taking a second to quietly  
watch my partner and - though I'd never admit it to him - my best friend. When I had met Tony I had thought him an amusing Joker, cute maybe, but mostly  
annoying. Through working together however, I have discovered the person beneath the charade he hides behind. Moments like these I can see the hidden  
seriousness on his face. The tight muscles in his shoulders, the hard set of his mouth, how his hair has been combed back by his fingers, trying to push back  
the darkness surrounding him. Few people would see those subtle signs, but, having worked as closely with him as I have it is plain to see.  
A lot of people have questioned our closeness, have thought we were sleeping together, but that would never happen we are to close emotionally. Neither of us  
wants to lose our friendship and we have settled into the friendly dynamics of work partnership and more, but never that kind of more.  
I get up from the bushes, unless our killer is a sleepy hedgehog, I haven't found anything. Feeling discouraged I start towards a ditch nearby, searching the  
ground as I walk.  
"Ziva, over here!" Tony calls out to me he sounds tense, almost to the point of breaking, and as I walk towards him I see why.  
Dumped in a hollow tree, rigor mortis only just starting to set in is a young girl with a knife protruding from her side.  
"That cocky bastard dumped her while the police were looking for him" Tony said incredulously,  
and just for a second I wish he'd say it reminded him of a movie.

_I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but please comment, bad or good I'm happy to hear it. Thanks_


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry it took a while to right I do my best, hope you like it._

**Disclaimer: you all know that I dont own NCIS but I also do not own the fanfiction strory on which Tony's character and background are based I read Rictus and REALY liked the background it gave of Tony. So I have used it as a base, not completely, but if you have read it you will see the simalarities. Sequitur if you have any problem with this please tell me and I will change it.**

_TONY_

I drew the gentle curve of her neck, the deep intensity of her eyes, the strong line of her jaw; I paused to smudge the dark coal into a soft shadow below her high cheek bones.  
I stood back to examine the results; it would have been easier if she'd been here, but I was quietly pleased with the near perfect charcoal image of Ziva's face as she has looked down on the body of Ashley Twain. I didn't need Ziva in front of me to know the way her jaw clenches and her lips tightened every time she was confronted with a scene like the one today. No amount of Mossad training could take away the pain of a child murdered and ravaged like that.  
Sighing, I closed my scetch pad, and with it all the feelings I would never admit I have.

* * *

I wake to the feeling of my phone vibrating against my chest, I flip my phone open, " Dinozzo, wassup boss?"  
" move your ass from wherever you are Dinozzo, we need you here"  
Gibbs's voice has the note of frustration in it that comes from the always horrible but sadly unavoidable battles when Gibbs V.S.'d bureaucracy,directors, the FBI, lawyers or ex wives.  
"on it boss" I manage to slip in before the usual _beep beep beep _sounds of Gibbs not waiting for an answer.  
I rolled out of bed and into clean clothes, I made sure I was clean shaven and looked like the charming smoothtalker I was going to have to be if I had to fix any mess GIBBS had made.  
five minutes after the wake up call, I was on my way.

As I walked into the office I heard the ironed out voice of a lawyer, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Smoothing my hair a little bit flatter I ran through some carefully compartmentalised childhood memories. Just the body language, the manners, the accent but nothing more, nothing to painful; all my history carefully put together to pacify the lawyer and whatever agency they where representing. After any length of time with Gibbs, this fake white collar persona would be a breath of fresh air, and a way for us to get what we want.  
the lawyer I was facing now had something about him, he made my skin crawl; the way he leered at Ziva, the way he looked immaculate, perfect, completely unfazed by the dead girl on the computer screen. Suddenly I realised what made me dislike him so much. He reminded me of my dad, instantly memories flooded my mind, days alone and scared never knowing when I would see him next. I quickly smoothed my face out and directed my attention at Gibbs, who was standing next to Director Vance.  
"The FBI want jurisdiction on this one" he said sounding pissed.  
GREAT! well that was just peachy, a lawyer, the FBI, the director, bureaucracy... throw in some ex wives and Gibbs would create the next apocalypse!  
I started the long political dance, of trying to explain that so far five of the victims(including the most recent one) had had navy dog tags around their neck. Their parents were marines and so we would investigate. They said their thing I said mine. A tiring half hour later I had won us our case, I was emotionally drained I hated the polished aristocratic Dinozzo I had made myself be. The whole thing was made worse by the memories of my father that had plagued me throughout the discussion, that lawyer was a spitting image of him.  
I sat down and rested my head in my hands, counting my breaths to calm myself. When I looked up Gibbs gave me one of his looks, I had known him long enough to recognise it as high praise and to know he understood how hard that had been for me. Feeling comforted I looked up grinning, no trace left of my pain "McStarbucks, go get us some coffee! I'm dying of thirst!"  
As McGee hurries off to get coffee I start going through all our information on the case, ready to devote myself to saving the next victim.

_Hope you liked it, let me know either way._


End file.
